Gloster Rapier

[Devilfish]

1945
as part of Operation Paperclip, the American forces retrieve all available German technology.  One such project, the Horten Go229 is lent to RAE Farnborogh for evaluation before being sent on to America.
Unknown to the Americans, the British forces had found a partially completed airfame, and plans for the aircraft.
Impressed with the design, the government places an order with Gloster for a copy, using British engines.
The first problem faced by Gloster was that the centrifugal flow RR engines were physically much bigger than the German axial flow engines.
Fitting them entailed changes to the airframe, which in turn meant moving the undercarriage.  To keep the costs down, many components were used from the existing Meteor fighter.  Because of the CG changes caused by fitting the Derwent engines, a Meteor nose section was fitted, along with nose wheel.  Meteor main undercarrige was modified to ft too.  To enhance stability, anhedral was introduced tot he wing section.

In late 1946, the first Gloster Rapier flew, quickly showing off it's superior speed aand handling, and becoming the first aircaft to break the sound barrier in level flight in early 1947.

The Rapier entered service with 9sqn RAF in late 1947.

[Cobra]

Superb Model Looks Great NMF! Keep up the Great Work Dan

[kitbasher]

I likes!  Have you compared it to my Armstrong-Whitworth Manta that's elsewhere on the forum?  Just shows how you can make two rather different builds using the same basis kit.

[Vulcan7]

Beautiful design very cool, great idea & back story    

I'd quite like to have a go at that myself, (ive done a couple of Jet Mossies with Horten wings) ...great name too 

[The Rat]

She's a beauty! 

[Devilfish]

I likes!  Have you compared it to my Armstrong-Whitworth Manta that's elsewhere on the forum?  Just shows how you can make two rather different builds using the same basis kit.

I can't find it...do you have a link?

[Thorvic]

I likes!  Have you compared it to my Armstrong-Whitworth Manta that's elsewhere on the forum?  Just shows how you can make two rather different builds using the same basis kit.

I can't find it...do you have a link?

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,21076.0/highlight,manta.html

There you go

[RussC]

Fantastic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



And there were a series of Blohm und Voss DrawingBoardWaffe designs that looked like this as well, with slight addition of rudderlets about 3/5 the way to the wingtips.

[Hobbes]

That's quite a change from the base model. Well done!


BTW in the background of this pic:



What's the car in the rear? Looks like an Opel Commodore, but I don't think that was ever sold as an estate?

[PR19_Kit]

What's the car in the rear? Looks like an Opel Commodore, but I don't think that was ever sold as an estate?

Could be a Rekord E2 estate?

I had the Vauxhall equivalent for some years, the Carlton 2.0i Estate and it looked similar but with a different grille.

[TallEng]

According to a quick google (ooer missus! ) its an Opel Commodore C V8 from the Irmscher motor sport team and its used as an ahem "drift car"
not as good as the Manta 400 in front of it though
Regards
Keith

[Devilfish]

I likes!  Have you compared it to my Armstrong-Whitworth Manta that's elsewhere on the forum?  Just shows how you can make two rather different builds using the same basis kit.

I can't find it...do you have a link?

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,21076.0/highlight,manta.html

There you go

Fantastic!!!

[Devilfish]

According to a quick google (ooer missus! ) its an Opel Commodore C V8 from the Irmscher motor sport team and its used as an ahem "drift car"
not as good as the Manta 400 in front of it though
Regards
Keith

Correct!  Cars, especially Mantas, are my other passion

[NARSES2]

Nice